The Care Act 2014Legislation

The Care Act 2014 received Royal Assent on 14th May 2014.

The Act creates a single law for adult care and support, replacing more than a dozen different pieces of legislation. It provides the legal framework for putting into action some of the main principles of the White Paper Caring for our Future: Reforming Care and Support.

The Act introduces new duties on, or requirements of local authorities in relation to: embedding individual wellbeing at the heart of all of their care and support arrangements; an enhanced focus on prevention; the initial inclusion of people who do not have eligible needs; strengthened rights for carers; adherence to a new national eligibility system with a minimum threshold; market-shaping and -management; a new legal framework for safeguarding adults; and new duties to act in partnership with others and with a focus on integration with health. It also sets out a new model of paying for care, putting in place a cap on the care costs.

Much of the practical detail is in the regulations and guidance accompanying the Act: Care and Support Statutory Guidance, DH, October 2014. The implementation for Part 1 of the Act is April 2015. The cap on care costs which is also in Part 1 of the Act will not be introduced until 2016/17.